Partial Retirement?

[ESRBob]

How do people feel about the term "Partial Retirement" to describe semi-retirement or some other phased approach that involves getting out of the full-time-career-w**k world?

I see from Google that the term is common in Europe, but I don't remember hearing it much around here. Could it be the new term that will replace the increasingly cumbersome "early or semi-retirement"? Any better candidates?

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

How do people feel about the term "Partial Retirement" to describe semi-retirement or some other phased approach that involves getting out of the full-time-career-w**k world?

"Partial retirement" to me seems like an intermediate step with emphasis on getting it over and done so you can reach "full retirement." Semi-retirement seems more like a new state of equilibrium with less emphasis on a reaching the "real" goal of full retirement.

Guess they literally mean the same thing, but the former evokes a feeling of an unfinished agenda, rather than an alternate lifestyle. Just my $.03.

 

[TromboneAl]

I think everyone in the US knows exactly what is meant by semi-retirement. Why are you looking for a better term?

 

[donheff]

Yup. "Semi" works, "partial" doesn't.

 

[Alex]

Semi-retired doesn't seem cumbersome to me. But Partially-retired sure does. I'd stick with Semi.

 

[Peaceful_Warrior]

I don't really use partially nor semi. I go with the following:

- Out of the rat race (Able to live at my current means without having to work for somebody else)
- Retired (Not having to work if I don't want to)

In that regard, I am one of "those people" that would still consider myself retired if I carried a part time job because retirement for me is not a state of being, but rather, a state of options.

Mostly it's all just semantics anyway. If we removed any emotional attachments we have to words such as "semi" or "partially" then it really doesn't matter what we say as long as we understand what we mean.

 

[wabmester]

I see from Google that the term is common in Europe, but I don't remember hearing it much around here. Could it be the new term that will replace the increasingly cumbersome "early or semi-retirement"? Any better candidates?

Are you publishing a new European edition? How about demi-rentier?

 

[ESRBob]

Yeah, I see your points -- partial sounds somehow halfway to something, whereas semi- has a nice hang-out-here for the long run feel.

 

[sgeeeee]

How do people feel about the term "Partial Retirement" to describe semi-retirement or some other phased approach that involves getting out of the full-time-career-w**k world?

I see from Google that the term is common in Europe, but I don't remember hearing it much around here. Could it be the new term that will replace the increasingly cumbersome "early or semi-retirement"? Any better candidates?

When I was working 1/4-time, I used to say that I was 3/4-time retired.

 

[Martha]

When I was working part time at first I said I was "cutting back." Then it was "part time." Towards the end it was "mostly retired."

 

[mickeyd]

the term is common in Europe

LOL . That's enough for me to question the entire phrase.

When asked what I "do", I still refer to myself as a "Status Evaluator".

(I am still trying to evaluate my status).

Pretty-much the same as partial retirement, but much more confusing.

 

[ESRBob]

When asked what I "do", I still refer to myself as a "Status Evaluator".

(I am still trying to evaluate my status).

This is the best I've heard. At first it sounded like some sort of elevator repairman, then a really important efficiency expert consultant and finally a consmer marketing trends guru. The navel contemplation component is a delicious dessert. The perfect figleaf for ERs everywhere.

 

[BigMoneyJim]

Yup, when I read "partial retirement" I naturally envisioned a failed or pseudo-retirement. I haven't worked in the past 7 months, but I need future income and plan to return to full time work, so "partial retirement" could describe my situation. (So could "lazy bum", "shiftless loafer", etc.. )

I'm afraid we're stuck with "semi-retired" as the term as language seems to change ground-up rather than by a leader's pronouncement.

Come to think of it, retirement is often redefined by the speaker to fit his or her situation. Perhaps we could have varying values of retirement...

First degree retired would be FIRE with no job needed. Second degree could be semi-ER.

Or category I and II retirements, type I or type II retirements, Yin and Yang retirements, gold and silver retirements, Hatfield and McCoy retirements, fiduciary and psychological retirements...

 

[DRiP Guy]

Yup, when I read "partial retirement" I naturally envisioned a failed or pseudo-retirement.

I like the 'degrees' idea in terms of use for an identifier, but I have to admit two things:

1) Different people have different ideas of what 'retired' means, and I am too old to argue until they are all bird-dogged into my definition, so I am learning to try to be open minded...

2) For ME (and only for me, YMMV, OIMACTTA, etc) the idea of 'semi' or 'partial' retirement is a non-starter, because the whole essence of what bugs me about work these days is not usually the actual activity once I get there, it is the fact I cannot just drop it all to go to the beach or on a three week road trip as I see fit.

At this stage of my life, that seems to be building up to be a terribly important thing. I just don't want to HAVE to do a dang thing that I haven't personally decided to do, anymore. This feeling seems kind of new to me, because I have always enjoyed a workplace with lots of other team members, and I don't always have to be the lead pack dog. I enjoyed interacting and working with people all my life, and I have been getting up in the AM and working til the job was done since I've been seventeen, without interruption and without complaint. The idea of having a schedule pretty much means that I might as well work a few more years of regular work until I don't have to do the 'semi', 'temp, 'partial', 'pseudo' or other modifier to add in front of RETIRED. Wow, more than I thought I'd say, but figured it might be worth saying.

mod EDIT: Fixed quote-instead-of-modify edit - BMJ

 

[ESRBob]

Drip Guy,
I hear ya -- I know I've been through multiple phases in just 6 years, so I suspect there are more to come, too. The first was straight never-work-another-day-in-my-life ER. That lasted a year and then I felt the need for a bit more savings or supplement to stay within an SWR, and I also had done all the stuff I thought I wanted to do and was looking for a little bit of challenge. So the second stage saw me trying to crank up a little part time something in my old industry which lasted a couple years.

As soon as markets recovered and I realized I didn't need to do that anymore, I found myself in the third phase, which was doing something that makes a little bit of income (writing books and making sculpture) which is totally fun and flexible, free from any BS that goes with a j*b, and gives me a lot of pleasure and some sense of meaning that work can provide.

It may be because I have kids and therefore less flexibility to up and go any time (we aren't the home schooling type) but I find I actually enjoy a little structure in life, a sense of obliging myself to do something on a schedule or something that stretches me a bit-- some sort of goal or challenge. I think other ERs may feel this, too -- some people can do golf or hobbies every day and be totally satisfied, but for a lot of former Type-As there is a need for a little bit more.

So semi-retirement doesn't have to mean 'semi-good' or 'a diluted version of the happiness which is ER', at least in my experience. It can actually feel more fulfilling than full-ER. The key is to make the activity's values center around pleasurable, appropriate challenges, not just making money or getting ahead in a career or all the other stuff we used to have to be motivated by during the accumulation/savings years...

 

[DangerMouse]

To me partial retirement conjures up the image of having mentally checked out but physically still checking into work every day.

 

[DRiP Guy]

[snips]

I've been through multiple phases in just 6 years, so I suspect there are more to come, too.

I find I actually enjoy a little structure in life, a sense of obliging myself to do something on a schedule or something that stretches me a bit-- some sort of goal or challenge. I think other ERs may feel this, too -- some people can do golf or hobbies every day and be totally satisfied, but for a lot of former Type-As there is a need for a little bit more.

So semi-retirement doesn't have to mean 'semi-good' or 'a diluted version of the happiness which is ER', at least in my experience.

Thanks!

And I'll bet you are correct, once I have experienced six months or two years of being able to 'float', I'll bet I will want to settle into a more or less regular routine than includes some challenges and socialization. Right now, I just want to feel the sense that I really am in charge of my life. I guess getting into my mid forties has me considering that (if I'm fortunate) it's kind of the half way point. If I have worked for the family, the "man", society, rent, savings, taxes to support the roads, etc, for the first half, then I just want to be able to feel that the second half is under my control to explore, or lay in the hammock or whatever, and I don't think I'm going to believe it until a reasonable interval where I don't hear the messages, get the emails, have the meetings, appointments, lists, project schedules, supplicants, geeks, politicos, bosses, consultants, regulators, etc seeking guidance, resources, a place to drop their problems, etc.

Sometimes I feel like I'm living a bad imitation of a 42 minute Bob Dylan song with the cast of characters winding in and out. (Has anyone ever cataloged the 'players' that appear in his songs? There has got to be a thousand distinct ones)

 

[youbet]

Instead of partially or semi-retired, why not just come right out and say "working part time?"

If you're still putting in some hours, you're not retired, you're working part time!

 

[BigMoneyJim]

Another reason not to use "partial retirement" would be the new name: PRBob. See? More misunderstanding.

re: "working part time": I think some people may want to communicate that they are financially self-sufficient. I worked part time in high school and college, but I wasn't fully self-sufficient.

My mother talks about retirement a lot. She rehashes her plan to me regularly of how she's going to leave her job in 3 years. However, when she says retirement she means quitting the job she hates and finding part time work that's either more enjoyable or more flexible in hours. It's not just a matter of convenience to say "retired"...it means something more to her I think, but I don't quite understand. It's hard for us to mutually talk about retirement because she for some reason gets upset because I'm talking about retiring fully (category I?) when I speak and she means semi-retirement when she speaks. It shouldn't be a problem, but for some reason not understood by me it causes tension. My best guess is that the words imply a sense of identity and success in reaching a goal that "working part time" doesn't convey. But I'm a guy so I may be totally missing the point in this case.

I'm not sure I can make this make sense, but I also think there's miscommunication about the two times I've gone a few months without working. Some people seem to assume that I'm taking unemployment compensation. I find myself wanting to explain that I'm not working for a few months by choice, and I planned it this way, and I'm going back to work sooner or later, and I'm financially capable of doing this without assistance. But that makes for an odd conversation. At least my family gets it this time around...they show no signs of worrying about me.

Anyway, I guess the point is that I as a pretend ER (sample ER? partial ER?) and presumably those looking to partial ER would like a simple phrase to describe what we're doing without people assuming something less responsible. Am I close to describing the problem, ESRBob?

 

[HFWR]

I just don't want to HAVE to do a dang thing that I haven't personally decided to do, anymore.

Amen, brother!!

 

[ESRBob]

Anyway, I guess the point is that I as a pretend ER (sample ER? partial ER?) and presumably those looking to partial ER would like a simple phrase to describe what we're doing without people assuming something less responsible. Am I close to describing the problem, ESRBob?

BMJ,
Yeah, I think you're getting a little taste of the ambiguities and social pressure/stigma/feedback that can crop up when you ER. Certainly being confused with "unemployed', 'slacker', 'drug dealer' or 'loser' can come with the territory initially. Working a little can easily dispel that stuff, since nobody needs to know how many hours you put in; as long as you're a 'consultant' or a 'Status Evaluator' then everybody is happy.

Mostly I just want to stay on top of terms for what it is we do -- If there is going to be a new term describing semi-retirement, I'd rather we invented it here on this forum than have someone from a big magazine or think-tank start telling us what it is we're doing, and have it become the new commonly used word in the popular culture. If it has come to this point, clearly I need a new project! mid-winter in New England + bad back + no vacation for 3 more weeks = spurious term-chasing project

 

[youbet]

re: "working part time": I think some people may want to communicate that they are financially self-sufficient.

For those folks...... sounds like an ego problem to me. You're really FI when you no longer have an urge to rub your favorable financial status in other folks' faces!

 

[sgeeeee]

Transitional Retirement is a term I've read a lot to describe what people are doing after they stop working full-time and before they stop working at all. I think the term makes sense. An increasing number of people (according to financial houses like Vanguard and Fidelity) are choosing to work part-time or work intermitently in between when they work full-time and when they stop working at all. For some, this choice is probably related to finances, but for some it is for other reasons. And for most, it is probably a mixture.

Not everyone hates every aspect of working. Some people get various kinds of fulfillment, enjoyment, and social interactions from their jobs. I have been easily FI for at least 6 years but chose to do things that interested me and still paid money for about 4 of those years. I would consider doing other things that paid money if they interested me enough and I didn't have to give up other things that are more important to me. My DW (who has a degree in electrical engineering and worked as an engineer for about 18 years) retired from corporate America and became a Park Ranger. There was a new county park near us that was trying to figure out how to preserve some prehistoric Hohokam ruins and she thought that would be fun. Believe me, the salary of a county park ranger had nothing to do with the decision.

 

[ESRBob]

Transitional Retirement -- hmm... I like the sound of it. And seeing as how you've been right about just about everything for the past 50+ years, I think its a go! It still has that "R" word in it, though. I guess if we qualify 'Retirement' with strong enough adjectives we can keep it from rearing it's ugly side.

 

[sgeeeee]

Transitional Retirement -- hmm... I like the sound of it. And seeing as how you've been right about just about everything for the past 50+ years, I think its a go! It still has that "R" word in it, though. I guess if we qualify 'Retirement' with strong enough adjectives we can keep it from rearing it's ugly side.

Yeah . . . I tried to think of another word than the "R" word. Transititional Career or transitional employment don't work because they do not imply reduced work load or work stress . . . just different. Transitional toil ? Just doesn't have a ring to it.